Leicester City have the poorest passing record in the Premier League, produce the second-fewest short passes, and only Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion have worse possession.

Their average possession has been just 40.34 per cent this season ‒ almost half as much as Bayern (71.63) and far less than PSG (67.24) and Barcelona (65.96).

PSG have even produced almost three times as many short passes as Leicester this season (6,848), while Barcelona (14,160) and Bayern (14,720) have made more than twice as many.

Yet it has not held them back. Not one bit.

Even if Leicester lose to Norwich City at the King Power Stadium today, they will stay top, with Tottenham Hotspur playing on Sunday and Arsenal not playing in the Premier League at all this weekend due to the Capital One Cup final.

Neymar and his Barcelona team-mates average more possession and short passes than any La Liga team

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique and Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola are top of their respective tables

Bayern Munich trio Robert Lewandowski, David Alaba and Joshua Kimmich (L-R) take part in training

LEICESTER CITY'S PREMIER LEAGUE RANKING THIS SEASON

GOAL ATTEMPTS

RANK

Goals

48

1

Average goals per game

1.85

1

Shots

264

7

% shots on target

46.6%

7

% goals to shots

18.2%

1

PASSING

RANK

Total successful passes

5,984

19

Overall pass completion %

69%

20

Short passes attempted

6,848

19

Long passes attempted

1,823

4

Average possession

40.3%

18

CROSSES

Total crosses

495

17

Cross completion %

22%

11

DEFENDING

Goals conceded

29

7

Average goals conceded per game

1.12

7

Tackles

602

2

Interceptions

569

1

Blocks

113

4

Shots on target faced

105

13

Claudio Ranieri has his team fighting for the title in an entirely different way to the rest of Europe.

Possession is nine-tenths of the law in Spain, Germany and France ‒ even Italy too, where Juventus boast the fourth-best average in Serie A ‒ but not in England.

The team that have averaged the most possession in the Premier League this season, after all, is Manchester United (58.44 per cent).

Louis van Gaal's side aren't even contenders to be crowned champions and neither is the side in second ‒ Liverpool, who average 57.2 per cent.

Even the team in third ‒ Manchester on 57.14 per cent ‒ have fallen away as they trail Leicester, Tottenham and Arsenal.

Exciting football does not have to be all about tika taka, even if Pep Guardiola does detest that phrase. Leicester are doing it a different way.

They are direct and, to be blunt, the counter-attack kings.

Leicester top the table for goals on the break (5) and it's no wonder, given they have attempted the most in the Premier League (18).

The closest to them is Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle (all 12).

Ranieri tells his team to look forward rather than sideways or backwards, using the pace of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez as the deadly duo hound and harass defenders.

Leicester switch from defending to attacking as soon as they win the ball back, which is often, given they have made more interceptions (569) than anyone else in the Premier League.

N’Golo Kante is key to this system and former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand knows it too.

Foxes midfielder N'Golo Kante (centre) has made a huge impact since arriving at the club last summer

Leicester's players are top of the Premier League table and face Norwich at home on Saturday afternoon

'Kante is the best tackler/retriever of the ball on the planet,' Ferdinand tweeted on February 14, when Arsenal scored a stoppage-time winner to see off the 10 men of Leicester.

The £5.6m summer signing's midfield partner, Danny Drinkwater, calls him 'The Rash' and today they will try to show no signs of a hangover from that late loss at the Emirates Stadium.

So Leicester are doing it a different way to Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG ‒ but they're doing it nonetheless, and will be top on Sunday morning no matter what.